| have you voted? |
[Oct. 29th, 2009|04:20 pm] |
Washington state peeps:
Have you voted yet? Sure, you filled out your ballot, but have you mailed it in? I know it's an odd numbered year, so there's no big offices to vote for (unless you live in Seattle), but Ref 71 and 1033 are really important. We need every yes vote we can for Ref 71, and every no vote for 1033. Consider this: I think that every one of you knows at least one gay couple. If you don't vote, you're essentially voting no on their domestic partnership rights. Will you be able to look your lgbt brothers and sisters in the eye on Nov 4?
(Yeah, I'm not above a little guilt to get people to send in their ballots.) |
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| Strange dream |
[Jul. 24th, 2009|04:33 am] |
Strange dream. Want to get it down before I forget it.
So, we're going to be having thanksgiving at the home of (nonexistant outside the dream) friends, a gay couple who just had twins. One of the couple is played by John Barrowman, but is not John Barrowman, only played by him. Attending Thanksgiving will be him, us, and my cousin Alison (real) and her boyfriend (?). I am to prepare and bring all the food, which is lovely, because I do a mean Thanksgiving.
We get there, and I start putting stuff on the stove and into the oven to reheat. Gravy on the stove, pans of sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes in the oven.
I realize I've forgotten the pumpkin pie! Luckily, the couple live right next to Safeway, so we (Alison, myself, and John Barrowman's character, which is too long to type, so hereafter referred to as HGG -- Hot Gay Guy. I'm sure his partner was cute, but come on, it's John Barrowman) pop over there, leaving the less hot partner of the couple at the house to stay with the still-sleeping twins. On the way, Alison and I talk about why she isn't at her parents' house for Thanksgiving, and also about the fact that this is the third dream of mine in as many weeks that she's been in, and could there be a reason for that, probably to do with her car? Nope, that can't be it, as she doesn't have one. So, we arrive at Safeway, and it's closing. HGG convinces the very tired lone employee to let us have 2 pumpkin pies anyway, and she asks that we come back tomorrow to pay, as she's closed the registers. HGG promises, and we leave.
When we return, I realize I've left the stuffing at home! So HGG and I rollerblade (rollerblade?) back to the house, and we talk about the babies on the way, swerving off and on the sidewalk and street. The babies are pretty new, and HGG has a lot of questions. Although he has come along because the stuffing will be heavy (?!), I also get the feeling that HGG is just glad to get out of the house, because new babies can make you feel a bit housebound. On the way back, I realize I only brought the jellied cranberry sauce, where I usually do both kinds (because jellied cranberry sauce is really a side dish, to be enjoyed on its own or as a dessert, and orange-cranberry sauce-style sauce is for saucing.) John Barrowman and I get back to their house, with the stuffing (which was only regular basic stuffing, because it hadn't been made yet when we retrieved it), and I realize as I'm putting it in the oven, that I've left the green beans in the car.
As we're ALL (!) (except for HGG, because the twins woke up and it's his turn) retrieving the green beans from the car, I apologize to everyone for such a crappy thanksgiving, because usually I do so much better at thanksgiving. I tell them, "I do the potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the pie, a wicked sausage stuffing, green beans, gravy, two kinds of cranberry sauce, and an incredible brined turkey." At which point, I realize I've forgotten the turkey. Apparently, that was the last straw, because I woke up. But then I fell back asleep, and we walk back into the house, greeted by John Barrowman's character, with the two sweetest twins in matching blue Moby wraps, who assures me that it's okay that we don't have turkey, because at a proper Jewish thanksgiving, you don't eat turkey, you eat hot dogs, and they have hot dogs. I am much relieved, and the dream ends for good.
*********
The only part of this dream that makes sense is John Barrowman's appearance, because of having just watched Day 4 of Torchwood: Children of the Earth right before sleep. Everything else is just odd and out of place. |
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| kudos to Rep. Patrick Murphy |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|08:58 pm] |
Kudos to Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), who today picked up the job of heading up HR-1283, the bill to repeal the (good grief, "mistake" doesn't even begin to cover it, does it) that is Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
We have lost 13,000 loyal servicemembers to this travesty, loyal and brave Americans who could and should have otherwise been serving their country.
When Bill Clinton was elected, my roomate and I did the One Sock Dance of Joy(tm), largely for two reasons: healthcare, and the rights of gays in the military. He, and the congress of the day, let us down big time. I was pissed when Don't Ask, Don't Tell happened. I mean P.I.S.S.E.D.
The previous chief sponsor had to step down from the role because she's gone to work for the State Dept. So Patrick Murphy, a "blue-dog" democrat, who won by a very small margin in 2008 in PA, (a tough area for Dems), has taken over charge of rallying the forces and getting support for the bill. I suggest anyone who wants to donate to a tight congressional race in a year, this man may need it, and sure as hell deserves it!
There are currently over 150 cosponsors (218 will cinch the deal). Is your Rep on the list? If not, why not? And what are you going to do about it? |
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| Alton Brown's Swedish Meatballs |
[May. 15th, 2009|05:19 am] |
So, last night, I made Alton Brown's Swedish Meatballs. There were three notable exceptions to his method. First, I have 1oz springloaded ice-cream scoop, so I had to guesstimate size. Second, I have no stand mixer with which to "beat the tar" out of the mixture. Third, I used buttermilk to soak the bread in, instead of milk.
Difference one: well, he said he made 30 meatballs with this recipe. So, when I was at 34 meatballs, and only 2/3-3/4 way through the mixture, I made them all bigger. It was against my better judgement, as I thought the were too big. I was right. They took forever to cook. I would have preferred to make 4 batches that took 2/3 of the time to cook, than 2.5 batches that took too long. I think I was right the first time, about size, because the larger meatballs took 12-14 minutes, instead of his recommended 7-9. Must listen to my gut more often!
Second: I tried really hard to mix the meatball mixture with my hands as best I could, for twice as long as he said to do it in a stand mixer. But they still had more of a rough, regular-meatball texture that the fine texture of a swedish meatball.
Third, the buttermilk added a really lovely, very slight, tang to the meatballs. Yum!
I served the meatballs and gravy over egg noodles, and it was delicious! |
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| squeeeee! |
[May. 7th, 2009|02:46 pm] |
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Star Trek TONIGHT!!! We have tickets for tonight, 7pm, at the Alderwood Regal 7. Yes, tonight. Woohoo!!! I'm so excited, I'm even gonna take the medicine so I can have popcorn! |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 20th, 2009|01:35 am] |
I made 5 lasagnas yesterday. One has already been demolished. 1 will be delivered tomorrow to a friend from church who recently had a baby. 2 will be delivered on Tuesday to Amber581 (I can't do that linky-to-your-lj thing) for after her baby. And the other will be nom'ed early this week.
I LOVE the no-boil lasagna noodles! They make lasagna something that doesn't require a crapload of time and patience.
This is what I made:
1 ginormous organic yellow onion
3 lbs hormone/antibiotic-free leanest ground beef
Balsamic vinegar
4 lbs ricotta cheese
4 eggs
8 c. shredded mozzarella
~12 oz. shredded parmesan
Garlic powder
2 lbs spinach
4 jars pasta sauce
5 cans tomato sauce
Basil & other herbs
2/3 head of garlic*
No-boil noodles
*would've been a whole head, to be v. v. garlicky, but I don't want to make gassy newborns for breastfeeding mamas.
I cooked the onions, beef, garlic, and balsamic vinegar in 2 pans (1/3 to go in the non-spinachy lasagna, 2/3 to have spinach.)
I mixed 1 jar pasta sauce and 1 can tomato sauce in a saucepan, with a little garlic, and other seasonings. This sauce was just for the bottom of the lasagna pans, so the noodles would be resting on just sauce.
I added sauces and spices to the meat mixtures, and 2 lbs of chopped spinach to the larger one.
Mixed ricotta, eggs, half the mozzarella, garlic powder, and some basil.
Layered:
Plain sauce
Noodles
Ricotta mixture*
Mozzarella (light sprinkling)
Meaty sauce
Noodles
Ricotta mixture
Meaty sauce
Noodles
Meaty sauce (less than other layers)
Mozzarella
Parmesan
*since the noodles weren't cooked, I could just spread this on the noodles, like spread on a cracker, before putting them in the pan -- much easier!
And that was it! No messing around with trying to boil noodles, and keep them separate, and keep them whole, and trying to maneuver these big slippery fragile sheets of pasta!
And the bonus: it's delicious! And healthy! You can't even taste the spinach, but I left it out of Amber's anyway.
Now, I just need to find some whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles... |
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| pointless entry, probably |
[Feb. 12th, 2009|12:58 am] |
But in case my vegetarian but not vegan friends care, Sonoma Jack brand cheese cubes is made without rennet, and just happens to be on sale for $0.99/16oz bags at Grocery Outlet right now. And they're yummy!
*stirs some benefiber into her carrot juice to counteract all this cheese...* |
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| bad. very bad. |
[Jan. 17th, 2009|11:17 pm] |
Bad idea #492:
"Hmm, I'll watch Silence In The Library and Forest of the Dead right before bed..." |
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| Rustycon 26: our hotel |
[Jan. 9th, 2009|10:11 am] |
May I just say how freakin awesome the Marriott is, especially in comparison to the Holiday Inn last year, but really, even without comparison.
We had the Pre-Con Meeting with them yesterday, which was pretty much all about, "how can we be the best con hotel EVAR?"
Then, we were looking at the breakfast menu. You know, the "put this on your door by midnight, and we'll bring you really expensive breakfast" menu? And we realized that if we ordered off the "sides" it was no more expensive than going to Denny's. And considering how crazy expensive the hotel restaurant is, one less Denny's trip per day is a good thing! So we got really yummy oatmeal and bacon for me, and a bagel with cream cheese and bacon and ham for Drew, all for less than going to Denny's. And we didn't even have to leave the room!
They also have a thing you can set outside your door saying what time you want your room cleaned (10-noon, 12-2, or 2-4).
The beds are super comfy. Really, really comfy.
The maintenance staff is friendly and fast. We had an A/C problem that couldn't be fixed, but that was okay, because we got switched to a bigger room, easy-peasy. |
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| Ugh. |
[Jan. 4th, 2009|11:37 pm] |
I tried. I cannot watch this week's Face The Nation. Our VP, with his smug, lipless smile, is just too fucking evil. He creeps me out.
15 days, 12 hours, and 19 minutes to go... |
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| some initial thoughts |
[Nov. 5th, 2008|03:49 am] |
This movement that Obama has inspired, this "yes we can" business. It's serious stuff. And what he was asking of us in his speech was not light stuff. He was asking sacrifice and trust.
We have not been trusting of authority, especially the authority of the President, in a long time. In order for him to effectively lead, we are going to have to do that to some degree. He is going to be making some tough decisions in the next months and years, because as wonderful as the last 24 hours have felt, we are not in good times, my friends. And it will not be easy to pull out of them.
As far as sacrifice, it was not enough to vote. That was our part, yes, but it was only the beginning of our part. We need to take his call to action, his call to civic duty, his call to volunteerism, seriously. Our health care, our poor, our security, our children's education, our planet, our nation, are all in trouble. They all need help. He can't do it alone. What are you going to do to support him?
I may reword all this when I'm a little less post-election insomniac. |
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| Yeah, BABY! |
[Nov. 4th, 2008|08:12 pm] |
And now even 297, and counting!
The One Sock Dance of Joy (tm) is being danced in our home tonight!!! |
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| WA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Race |
[Oct. 31st, 2008|02:10 pm] |
This is a subject very dear to me, as a mother of a school going child, but also as someone who cares about the state of our society.
Even if you don't have children, or send your children to private school, today's publicly educated children become your employees, employers, coworkers, neighbors, friends, (fellow voters!) and caretakers tomorrow, and are still your fellow citizens today.
If you haven't filled out your ballot yet, please give consideration to voting for Randy Dorn in the Superintendent of Public Instruction race. He's an educator and official with experience and great ideas, and Terry Bergeson has had 12 years too many to screw up our schools. The WASL is her "thing", her pet project, her product, and she's quite proud of it, no matter how much of a failure it repeatedly is proven to be. I'm going doorbelling for Randy Dorn and his reform plans tomorrow. Cora is genuinely upset that her sprained ankle prevents her from joining me for more than a few doors.
http://www.randydorn2008.com
Thank you,
Kate |
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| Pathology report |
[Oct. 22nd, 2008|06:31 pm] |
I realized I forgot to report here. So for those of you who didn't catch an announcement on irc or mdc, the pathology came back totally benign! WOOHOO!!!
Now I'm just recovering from the surgery, but I'm so relieved.
I go in for another mammogram and u/s in a couple months, so they can get a baseline of what it looks like after the surgery. |
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| post-surgery update |
[Oct. 15th, 2008|03:42 am] |
Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts.
Surgery went fine, and the doc said he thought it looked benign, though we still have to wait for pathology reports, which will come Thursday or Friday. I'm trying to be really happy about that, but I'm so out of it and emotional from the anaesthesia that all I can muster is vague relief.
I slept most of the afternoon, and now I'm awake off and on.
I'm in a lot of pain now. The incision is a lot longer than I thought it'd be, and touching any part of my breast hurts. I assume there's a decent amount of damage in there, because everyone talks about how incredibly dense and tough the area is, so it might have been a little more work to get it out.
I'm really hoping this doesn't affect my ability to nurse future children. The incision is from about 11 o'clock (maybe 11:30) to 3 o'clock position along my very large areola, and the bad area they took out was about 2-3cm x 1.5cm x 1cm, located a little ways out from the areola. He said, in the consult, that he'd try to do as little damage to the rest of the network of ducts and lobes, so as to preserve my future breastfeeding ability.
There is a definite dent, which he said he'd be able to avoid, so I'm hoping that means that the rest of my copious breast tissue will take over and fill in the area sometime.
I'm also on an emotional roller coaster, coming down off of the general anaesthesia. I'm Miss Crankypants Weepsalot. Hopefully, that'll go away in another day or two. My sister has had a lot of surgeries, and she's usually really cranky for the first day, then weepy for a couple of days.
I'll post again when I have pathology reports, presumably saying I don't have cancer!
Thank you all again for your support. |
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